The Plastic Jungle

Ruin Catches His Breath

The Action Mid-Run as seen by Ruin

Zig Zag and Ruin approached the final door they had to open before entering the room that should have the imprisoned Killer Whale. Zig Zag whispered something to Ruin about opening the lock. Ruin couldn’t see Zig Zag working, since he was invisible, but saw the door respond to ZZ’s movements, and knew ZZ was picking the lock with his maglock passkey. Ruin had a much needed moment to catch his breath.

First, his hands went up to his eyebrows and beard. They were singed, and the beard would need a trim, but not all the hair was gone. That damned hellhound’s fiery breath could have killed him if he hadn’t gotten the fire retardant material on his Sleeping Tiger Suit. Good planning. Firing an unsilenced gun in the middle of a stealth run? Not so good.

Next, Ruin topped off the clip on his Guardian Savalette. Hopefully he wouldn’t need the gun, but better safe than sorry.

Now Ruin had nothing to do but wait. For one of the first times in his Shadowrunning career he felt scared.

That Ape entity was out there and was still after him. He couldn’t just pop into the astral whenever he felt like it. He was being stalked. The creature that had attacked him at Terminator’s HQ was the same one who attacked him during his recon of the Evo research facility. On the astral it appeared to be a huge ape with wings. Whatever it hit got chilled as if by frost.

What in the 13 hells did the thing want? He had told Ruin he wanted Ruin to be his pupil. The thing had a barbaric way of recruiting students. Did he expect Ruin to roll over and play dead out of reverence for his new teacher? Ruin much preferred manners over muscle flexing.

I don’t want to serve some sadistic brute. Ruin thought to himself. He silently chanted to himself and reached out mentally to his mentor spirit for help. 野猪 hear me! Protect me from this creature and show me the way through this mess. I will not be enslaved by a tyrant.

Ruin reached into his pouch of spell components and pulled out some psionic berries to munch on. Just as he did so the door popped open.

“Show time!” he whispered to ZZ, and they both stepped through the door.